for reels: the kids are all spooked up and ready to go... they'rereadytoGONOW

What I watched in the first week of October

Oct 11, 2022

Hey hey and welcome to a new version of for reels. Used to be a monthly selection of highlights from my movie diary, but it’s been a while since I’ve done one and I’m finding it harder and harder to look back through the unruly logs of my movie lizard brain in monthly increments. So for now I’m thinkin’ this’ll be a weekly or biweekly thing for as long as I can spit it out. I dunno man just your humble beach-side burnout over here tryna cobble together what I can from the rolling fog of my own consciousness you dig.

for reels: week 1 of October

Smile (2022) - friday night mid-horror that kinda cooks

It's Spooktober so you know we're all about horror movies at my house right now. Top' o the month and we already got a kinda mid horror that's pretty fun to watch with a jumpy crowd. A definite step down from the last two horror movies I saw at the theater (Barbarian and Pearl, both top-10 entries in my 2022 movie list, such as it is) but a provocative, maybe even dangerous late-stage traumasploitation joint nonetheless. A psychiatrist witnesses a patient's suicide and discovers she's been infected by a shapeshifting evil entity that passes itself onto other people through trauma in an It Follows sorta way. Wouldn't exactly call this one sensitive in its portrayal of mental illness, and I certainly wouldn't recommend it to anyone who struggles with severe depression or suicidal ideation. But if you're down it's a riveting, trashy fall popcorn flick with a smattering of interesting technical moments (lots of electrifying camerawork here, at least more than the film's all-jump-scares reputation would suggest) that also pops off with some fresh ideas for the subgenre — like maybe we don't have all this mental health stuff figured out as much as we think we do, especially when our collective underlying psychic and spiritual plagues go on unchecked.

Smile is still in theaters.

Evil Dead (2013) - killer remake

As far as entirely unnecessary remakes go this one kinda rocks. Director Fede Álvarez (Don't Breathe) takes the basic setup of Sam Raimi's gonzo classic and creates a totally different atmosphere but one no less steeped in well-executed gore. Understanding that viscera is the key to this story was clearly half the battle. Lead Jane Levy's excellent work pulls a lot of weight as well.

You can stream Evil Dead on Tubi.

Crimewave (1985) - new fave

Speaking of Sam Raimi, I’ve said it before and I’ll say it again: live-action movies that feel like cartoons are underrated. Or maybe they’re properly rated, hell I dunno what y’all think. Point is, this live-action looney tune collab from Raimi and the Coen brothers scratches that particular cinematic itch and then some. Wonderful stuff.

You can stream Crimewave on Tubi…

…speaking of Tubi: dude Tubi's the best, an essential streaming service if you give two shits about movies. If you can't find a title anywhere else, nine times outta ten it's on Tubi. Free with ads, no signup required, and an irresistible selection. Get on that shit if you haven't already.

The Toolbox Murders (1978) - bona fide ‘slashic’

Caught this early slasher on Shudder and it ticked all the important slasher boxes, for this fan anyway. Starts with a rapid succession of murders of women in one apartment complex, then the back half sort of spills out as a Golden-State-Killer-esque tale with the crumbling, blood-soaked facade of the American dream as its backdrop. People often think of slashers as cheap cinematic meet grinders where the bodies just roll through the killer's wrath, which a lot of them are and that's fun, but the best ones will invest you in the survival of the characters so you really feel the sudden, violent loss of life. The Toolbox Murders contains some choice sequences where you quickly feel for these women, whether through economic character development or simply finding them in a quiet, intimate moment invaded by a sick man's uncontrollable urge to lash out at what he cannot understand. That's evergreen content for a country of rugged individuals gone horrifically sour you feel me?

You can stream The Toolbox Murders on Tubi or Shudder.

The Keep (1983) - a divine tangerine nightmare

Michael Mann's Exorcist. A WWII paranormal thriller about Nazis unearthing an ancient demon in occupied Romania. Disjointed and confusing though it is (mad curious about the experience of the OG three-hour cut), the ecstatic religious terror of it is really something. Goddamned sublime, even. The Tangerine Dream soundtrack sure helps.

You can stream The Keep on The Criterion Channel.

The Invisible Man (1933) - everybody wants to rule the world

Absolute power corrupts absolutely. That's the whole thing with The Invisible Man, James Whale's adaptation of H.G. Wells' classic sci-fi fable. Caught this old fave streaming on Criterion and popped it on as an afterthought (great thing about these old Universal monster movies is they're usually only 70-80 minutes, quick hits of spooky, moody pre-code black-and-white goodness) and really got lost in the profundity of it all over again. Invisibility functions as both an apt metaphor and a physical manifestation of absolute power. Our titular villain, initially motivated by the same things that inspire anyone who hasn't "made it" — financial security, respectability, maybe even fame and fortune in his field — seems to have turned instantly mad at the onset of his newfound power. Turns out literally not being able to see yourself alienates you from all other lifeforms pretty quickly, and the ability to go unseen by others makes you unable to recognize or even conceptualize humanity. Next thing you know you're thinking in terms of genocide and world domination. Sound familiar? If it doesn't, that's probably by design you dig? I could go on and on but I'll just leave you with a slight alteration to the anonymous quote that opens Adam McKay's Vice, another gonzo portrait of absolute power:

Beware the [invisible] man. For while others speak, he watches. And while others act, he plans. And when they finally rest… he strikes.

You can stream The Invisible Man on Peacock or The Criterion Channel.

Avatar (2009) - making up for lost time

So back in 2009 when y'all were at your local megaplexes ooohing and ahhing at Avatar in 3D, I was a Mormon missionary in Germany, not allowed to go to the movie theater for two goddamn years. So the appeal was utterly lost on me when I watched Avatar on a rented DVD from Netflix. Haven't given the film much thought in the intervening decade (decade?!! fuuuck me), but boy when that Way of Water trailer hit I'll be damned if that ole Jim Cameron magic didn't work on me. Even compelled me to hit the Avatar 3D re-release goin' on right now and I definitely understood the uniqueness of the experience seeing it in its intended format. Also had a better feel for the tone and structure of the whole thing, and the significance of the sci-fi concepts and what they bring to the whole Dances with Wolves narrative. Loads of dumb Hollywood shit in there but that's the thing, Cameron knows how to make a compelling anti-imperial sci-fi action spectacle amiright?

Avatar is still showing in theaters.

Hellraiser (2022) - “I don’t want pain to hurt!”

Pinhead's back baby! A full-on reboot of the property (which feels like a welcome relief in the age of horror "requels"), the new Hellraiser lacks the teeth of the first three Hellraiser films (haven't seen any of the bargain-bin sequels), and I can't help but feel the weight of this property being under the House of Mouse ya know? Still, there's some cool-ass shit in here, the cenobites are pretty dope (gotta say I miss the leather though) and Jamie Clayton's Pinhead is so fucking rad holy shit.

You can stream Hellraiser on Hulu.

Werewolf by Night (2022) - low-stakes spooky fun

Werewolf by Night pretty much delivers on the bill of goods — an MCU homage to classic monster movies. The stakes are low and the highs are, well, enjoyable if not actually high. TV movie length (about 55 minutes), billed as a "special presentation," and fills that slick runtime with well-paced Monster Mash fun. Was particularly taken with the appearance of Man-Thing, Marvel's answer to my guy Swamp Thing. Check it out if you're looking for something spooky™ to watch with the fam this month.

You can stream Werewolf by Night on Disney+.

Killer Klowns from Outer Space (1988) - “What're ya gonna do with those pies, boys?”

Another cult classic checked off the list. Didn't work for me quite as well as I thought it would but I gave it an extra half-star on Letterboxd for delivering on the promise of the title. Awesome set design (especially in the clown circus tent ship) and all the clown creature effects are great. Plenty 'o good kills too. Just feels kinda repetitive and arduous after a while. Worth a late-night faded watch, though, for sure.

You can stream Killer Klowns from Outer Space on Pluto TV.